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The Railway Touring Company · Escorted tour

Swiss Bernese Oberland

Swiss Alpine rail tour based in Wengen, featuring mountain railways and lake cruises

Illustration of Swiss Bernese Oberland

The Railway Touring Company's Swiss Bernese Oberland tour is an 8-day escorted journey through the Alps, based in the mountain village of Wengen. You travel from London via Eurostar and Swiss rail, and spend all seven nights at the same hotel, making this a relaxed base from which to explore the region's famous railways and lakes. Days combine scheduled excursions with free time: you'll ride Switzerland's oldest rack railway up Brienz Rothorn, take the Jungfrau Railway to Europe's highest station at 3,454 metres, cruise Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, and tour Bern by historic steam tram. A complimentary 6-day regional pass lets you venture further on your own during two free days. The itinerary suits travellers who prefer the comfort of a fixed hotel and guided experiences but also value flexibility. Most travel is by train, and the fixed base in Wengen eliminates daily packing.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is published: June 2026 at GBP 2995. Confirm availability before booking.
  • The tour price covers the hotel package and rail fares; prices are shown in both GBP and USD, but confirm the exact terms for your currency at booking.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Wengen

    Wednesday 24 June London to Wengen via Basel

    You travel First Class by Eurostar from London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. You then journey from Paris to Basel in Switzerland via Strasbourg. You join a high-speed service at Basel to Interlaken Ost, before continuing by regional train to Wengen. Here you check into the Arenas Resort Victoria-Lauberhorn Hotel, your base for the tour. A light dinner will be served at your hotel this evening. You'll also receive your 6-day Bernese Oberland Regional Pass for easy exploration of the surrounding areas.

  2. Day 2railovernight: Wengen

    Free day in Wengen

    After breakfast, you can either relax at the hotel and make use of its wonderful facilities or take a stroll through the village where the British allegedly 'invented' downhill ski racing. A more energetic option is to hike to one or more of the incredible local viewpoints. Another alternative is to use your Regional Pass to visit the Trummelbach Falls, a series of ten illuminated glacier-waterfalls inside a mountain, accessible only by a tunnel-lift. Yet another option is to visit the car-free village of Murren by cable and mountain railway from Lauterbrunnen, with views of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. Dinner is served at your hotel this evening.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Wengen

    Lake Brienz Cruise; Steam on the Brienz Rothorn Railway

    This morning you travel by train to Interlaken to enjoy a leisurely steamship cruise on Lake Brienz to Brienz at its eastern end. You join a steam train on the 800mm gauge Brienz Rothorn Railway (BRB), Switzerland's oldest rack railway and climb 1,678 metres (5,505 ft) from Brienz to Rothorn Kulm Station, just below the summit of Brienz Rothorn Mountain. After free time at the summit to enjoy lunch, you return to Brienz for an exclusive visit to the BRB depot to view the locomotives and workshop facilities there. In the afternoon you return to Wengen by train where you can relax before dinner is again served in your hotel restaurant.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Wengen

    Excursion to Jungfraujoch and the 'Top of Europe'

    A real tour highlight awaits today on a trip to the famous Jungfraujoch and the 'Top of Europe'. You'll travel by train to Kleine Scheidegg before joining a JB train en route to the highest railway station in Europe. The train stops twice at points where there are large windows in the rock face for passengers to admire the views. The 'Top of Europe' itself is a high-altitude building connected to the underground Jungfraujoch Railway Station by a tunnel. There's a choice of restaurants in which to take lunch, and a permanent exhibition about the Jungfrau Railway and the Alps. For the return back to Wengen you can either travel the same route back to Wengen or travel from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald at leisure, then make your way back to Wengen via Lauterbrunnen. On your return dinner will be served at the hotel.

  5. Day 5railovernight: Wengen

    Bern Steam Tram; Cruise on Lake Thun

    Today you travel by train to the Swiss capital, Bern, for a two-hour tour of the city by legendary steam tram. The metre gauge 0-6-0 tramway locomotive pulls a classic wooden carriage with open-ended balconies. You'll pass many of Bern's historic landmarks, including the famous Zytglogge clock tower. In the afternoon there's time to visit the shops along the arcaded walkways, or the famous Bear Park and nearby River Aare. Later, you'll take a service train to Thun to board a boat for the onward journey. Cruising along Lake Thun you have uninterrupted views of famous mountain peaks like the Niederhorn, Niesen, and Jungfrau. You then disembark at Interlaken West Railway Station and return by train to Wengen.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Wengen

    Free day to visit the Schilthorn or use your Regional Pass

    Today you have the choice to visit the summit of the Schilthorn, overlooking the valley of Lauterbrunnen and reached by a cable car from the village of Murren. At the summit there's a panoramic revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, once the location of a James Bond film, and free entrance to the Bond World interactive exhibition, entry is included with your Berner Oberland Pass. Alternatively, you can use your regional pass to visit Lucerne. The city is located on Lake Lucerne, in sight of Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi in the Swiss Alps. You'll get to Interlaken using WAB and BOB trains from where metre gauge Zentralbahn express trains go direct to Lucerne, a great experience in itself. The route follows the scenic Brunig Line beside Lake Brienz and the River Aare to Meiringen, where the train reverses and climbs over the Brunig Pass using a rack system. The terminus station at Lucerne is opposite the landing stage from which passenger boats, including paddle steamers, serve lakeside communities. The Chapel Bridge is a landmark of Lucerne and the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. Other places of interest include the Old Town of Lucerne, the Lion Monument, and the Swiss Museum of Transport.

  7. Day 7railovernight: Wengen

    Excursion to Schynige Platte

    Today you enjoy an excursion to the Schynige Platte mountain area, famous for its wildflower gardens and views of the majestic mountain scenery. You travel by train to Wilderswil, the junction for the 800mm gauge Schynige Platte Railway from 1893, one of Switzerland's pioneering lines. The cog train climbs at a sedate 12 kph up to Schynige Platte, passing many panoramic viewpoints overlooking Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, eventually revealing the glistening giants of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains to the south.

  8. Day 8rail

    Wednesday 1 July Return to UK

    After breakfast it is time to say your farewells and travel by regional trains to Interlaken. You then travel by express train from Interlaken to Basel before changing trains and continuing to Paris via Strasbourg. There you transfer to Paris Gare du Nord and take a Eurostar service back to London St. Pancras International.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 3A steamship cruise across Lake Brienz followed by the Brienz Rothorn Railway, Switzerland's oldest rack railway, climbing 1,678 metres to Rothorn Kulm Station with a guided depot visit.
  • Day 4Jungfrau Railway excursion to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 metres, with two interior viewing points in the rock face.
  • Day 5A two-hour charter tour of Bern in a historic steam tram with open-ended balconies, passing landmarks including the Zytglogge clock tower.
  • Day 7The Schynige Platte Railway, an 800mm gauge cog railway from 1893, climbs at 12 kilometres per hour past wildflower gardens and panoramic viewpoints of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

Included

  • 7 nights at the Arenas Resort Victoria-Lauberhorn hotel, Wengen
  • 3 course dinners served every evening in the hotel restaurant
  • Eurostar Plus travel from London and First Class rail travel from Paris to Switzerland and return
  • A standard class Regional Pass valid for days 2 to 7 for travel around the Bernese Oberland
  • Schynige Platte excursion
  • Jungfraujoch excursion
  • Lake Brienz cruise
  • 2 hour steam tram charter in Bern
  • Brienz Rothorn steam excursion with guided depot visit
  • All seat reservations and transfers (except on free days)
  • The services of a Tour Manager

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The package includes Eurostar First Class from London to Paris and return, high-speed and regional Swiss rail from Paris via Basel to Wengen and back, plus all excursion trains (Brienz Rothorn, Jungfrau Railway, Schynige Platte Railway, and Bern steam tram).
Is this an escorted or independent tour?
This is an escorted tour. A Tour Manager accompanies the group throughout, and all excursions, transfers, and rail reservations are arranged. Days 2 and 6 offer free time for optional activities.
Where do you stay?
All seven nights are at the Arenas Resort Victoria-Lauberhorn Hotel in Wengen, a mountain village. You remain based here for the full tour.
What is included in the price?
The GBP 2995 price (from) includes 7 nights at the hotel, 3-course dinners every evening, Eurostar Plus and First Class rail travel from London and Paris to Switzerland and return, all excursion trains, a lake cruise, the Bern steam tram charter, a 6-day Bernese Oberland Regional Pass for free days, and the Tour Manager's services.
When does this tour depart?
The Railway Touring Company has published one departure: Wednesday 24 June 2026 to Wednesday 1 July 2026.
How much walking is involved?
Days include walks through Wengen village, hikes to local viewpoints on free days, walking tours of Bern, and a visit to Jungfraujoch at high altitude. Most movement is by train, but comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

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